Found Sound #3 Streaming Radio

I love music, I have no qualms with admitting that I may even be obsessed, and that there may even be times when this obsession gets in the way of other more pressing concerns. However, there is little in life that I derive as much pleasure from as discovering a new artist or album that is, at least in the moment, better than anything I had ever heard before. Although I have a core group of friends who too share an awareness for the significance of music, close proximity and similar sources have lead to analogous album collections and as a result I sometimes feel like “our” music and the discussion there of becomes stale. When this occurs I have found a great deal of comfort in two radio programs, both of which can be accessed through the world wide web.

The first of which is All Songs Considered, broadcast by NPR and hosted by Bob Boilen. Originally a showcase for many of the tunes sampled in the news show All Things Considered, it has grown into a program discovering and featuring a wide variety of relatively obscure artists. Recently it began presenting live concerts which can be streamed separately or as part of the original program. Artists appearing on the show include The Decemberists, Interpol, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Calexico with Iron & Wine, Lucinda Williams, and my favorite Sigur Rós. Browse their archives for samples from many of the best new albums, over twenty live concerts and some very insightful commentary on music from some of the brightest minds in the business. To access the site click here.

A second program, and one which I have only recently discovered, is Sound Opinions. It is unusual in that the hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot spend much of the time discussing and interviewing musicians. The focus is on the talk about music rather than listening to music, and the shear amount of knowledge contained in the hosts heads about artists, albums and news keeps me busy jotting down note after note for later research on Wikipedia. Fortunately, for those in Minnesota, The Current, MPR’s new alternative rock station, broadcasts the show on Saturday’s at 9:00. To check it out click here.